Meet Elisa Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elisa Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elisa, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I haven’t! I don’t know if anyone ever does. I think we all feel like imposters in some way or another. I think the key is to, in those moments of uncertainty and self doubt, think about why I’m feeling like an imposter. Is it because I feel like I have nothing to say or what I do have to say is irrelevant or not valued? Is it because I’m worried my perspective won’t resonate with anyone? Is it because I feel like this song or that song may not hit as hard as I think it does? Or is it because I have cellulite on my ass? Then I tell myself “that’s all nonsense.” Because it is! (except for the cellulite bit).

I know someone that always tells me, “the only way to get to the other side is to go through.” I think the only way to overcome imposter syndrome is to let yourself feel those thoughts and worries that creep up and realize that EVERYONE has those thoughts and feelings, too, and that it’s all hogwash.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
When Garth Brooks invites you on stage to play a song, you play a song! I met Garth Brooks when I went to a talk he and Trisha Yearwood were giving at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was a student at the time studying the neurological effects music has on children that have experienced childhood trauma. During the talk, Garth mentioned that he still gets nervous before he performs and his comment really resonated with me – I loved to perform, but struggled with stage fright. During the Q&A portion at the end, I raised my hand and asked him how he overcomes his nerves when he’s on stage. He asked me my name and what kind of music I play, and then he invited me on stage to play a song! After I played my song “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” Garth gave me his guitar (the one I play with now) and told me to sing my heart out. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.
I grew up in a small town in Illinois. I loved music from an early age – my earliest memory is gathering my stuffed animals and cuddling in my dad’s guitar case while he practiced gospel tunes for church. As a child, I was enraptured by my grandmother’s stories of Nashville and the Opry in the 50’s and 60’s. I also shared my father’s love of classic rock from the 70’s. And I fell asleep my mother’s lullabies (which, as an adult, I learned were the dust-worn ballads of Woody Guthrie). Rock n roll and vintage country run in my blood.

I moved from my small town to the big city to attend Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, I studied music business and music production. It was during this time that I unearthed my passion for education. Fascinated by the science of music and fueled by my desire to increase access to music education, I enrolled at Harvard to receive my Masters degree in Arts Education. It was here that I met Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and it was here that my life changed forever.

After I was “baptized by fire” by Garth Brooks, I returned to my roots. I began writing and performing with an unquenchable ferocity. Critics have said my songs elicit feelings of nostalgia, pride, wanderlust, heartbreak, and good ol’ fashioned boot-stompin’ mischief and my sound has been likened to Loretta Lynn meets The Rolling Stones. In 2018, I released my debut EP, “Hitch A Ride.” Featuring Grammy-winning and platinum-status talent, the 6-song EP was produced by Johnny Duke (Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton) and features the song I played for Garth, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.”

In May of 2021, I released my first full length album, “Baptized By Fire.” Produced by Caleb Gilbreath (Brett Eldredge, Mandi Sagal) and Eddie Bayers (Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson), the album tells the story of redemption through love, family, and faith.

I’ve been nominated for two BMAs for Country Artist of the Year, a New England Music Award for Country Artist of the Year, and referred to as “Boston’s Honky Tonk Country Queen” and “one of the best original country acts in New England,” I have been featured on The Bull, Country 102.5, and indie radio stations across the world. I’ve cowritten songs with Joie Scott (Shania Twain) and Steve Lesley (Chris Stapleton). I’ve headlined and performed at festivals, performed on local television, and I have been featured in WBUR’s the ARTery, HarvardEd Magazine, and internationally acclaimed music blogs.

Right now, I’m planning on releasing my next EP, “Spirit On The Run” this fall. The EP was produced by Caleb Gilbreath and I recorded it when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter. I’m also working on writing my next full length album, “Perfume.”

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Kindess! I think being kind is way easier than being a jerk and no one is going to want to help if you if you’re mean. Garth Brooks is one of the most authentically kind humans I have ever met and it seems to be working well for him. Just be nice, y’all!

Ability to Take and Discern Feedback with Grace. This is a ROUGH business with a capital R-O-U-G-H. You’re gonna get a lot of different people telling you a lot of different things. Some of it will be good and most of it will be bad. I think the ability to take feedback and really ponder it is important. The next part is crucial – not only is it important to receive feedback with grace, but you have to be able to discern it. Does that feedback serve you and your artistic vision? If not, get rid of it. If there may be something to it, then swallow your pride, and get to work.

This one is for all the women out there – Fight for What You Know. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been the only woman in the room, positive I know what I want or how it needs to sound or how to fix something with everyone telling me I’m wrong. When in the end, I’m right. This happens even with my own songs that I write! It can be extremely intimidating when you have a bunch of people telling you what’s what. But if you know what you want and the way it needs to be, then speak up. Otherwise you’ll end up with an end product that you’re not happy with and that’s a real bummer.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s a non-fiction account of the Lewis and Clark expedition to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. The thing that resonated with me the most is how much of a perfectionist Lewis was and how much he suffered from imposter syndrome (to tie it back to the first question).

Without ruining too much of the book (which I HIGHLY recommend you read), while on the expedition, Lewis took copious amounts of notes about everything he saw an experienced. There were hundreds of drawings, stories, descriptions of plants, people, landscapes, all beautifully written. He had always planned on publishing his journals for the world to learn about the American West. When the expedition returned, Lewis felt that his drawings and accounts didn’t carry enough merit so he hired a bunch of “professionals” to essentially rewrite and draw everything he had done to do it “the right way.” Long story short, Lewis never published his journals during his lifetime because they were never perfect enough.

I think there are a lot of artists that feel that way and honestly, nothing is ever going to be perfect enough. I struggle with that with my own art – I go back and listen to things I’ve already released and wish there are things I could change. I often get stuck like Lewis did. But he serves as a constant reminder to me that it’s important to share your work, even if it’s not perfect.

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